Fringe (new JJ Abrams show) : Mad scientist, flesh eating virus, a cow and talks with the dead

Walter Bishop definitely the best character on this show. LET'S MAKE SOME LSD! I love that he's basically playing the same deranged old dude he did in Lord of the Rings, only a FRINGE SCIENTIST instead of a STALWART STEWARD OF GONDOR.

I really didn't like the pilot when I saw it last week, but weirdly it's grown on me over the week. I'm actually sorta looking forward to it tonight. Is this usual with Abrams' stuff? It sucks during the watching, but you recollect it fondly later?

is joshua jackson playing george clooney or what

Damn, how the hell did they get away with that gory shit, the surgeries, the eyeball (UGH), on public TV? I was seriously turned off by it. The rest of the episode was okay, I guess.

Didn't seem any more graphic than any given House episode.

the eyeball was totally loltastic

This was awful. First episode wasn't great or anything, but it wasn't this bad. I don't even mind the clunky-as-fuck exposition of the first 5 minutes. The dream-sequence pregnancy thing? Yeah, I saw Aliens. The last image from the eye? I saw Wild Wild West too.

Felt like they were already out of ideas.

That played-out jaded horseshit stance where folks show off that they've watched movies and TV shows and read books and remember things from them and act like hot shit when they find these things in other movies / shows / books? Yeah, I liked it better when they didn't share.

Expected Chris Carter, got Joss Whedon.

Clearly, I really will watch Lance Riddick in anything.

Lance is class.

xxpost

I'm not one for "I've seen this done elsewhere", nor do I think calling back upon Wild Wild West is anyway anyone can consider themselves hot shit. The point is really that a writer (or writers) should do well enough for someone not to notice. The eye thing has been done many, many times before, and it is usually a pretty cheap trick when someone's written themselves into a hole/can't be bothered to come up with something better. And the Aliens gag was weak.

I think I just find the world they've set up to be jarring and inconsistent. I don't mind being derivative, certainly not of genre tropes in a genre show, but they've got to help the viewers a bit. If you want to make a campy sci-fi/horror show, then do it. If you want a scary, serious thriller, then do that. There is no sense of humour in this show as far as I can tell, unless the cow thing was meant to be funny.

Kerm OTM, but at least Whedon seemed to have a sense of humour. He would willingly acknowledge from the get-go that the Hellmouth and Willow's hacking abilities was just an easy out for the writers, who were more interested in character anyway. I was hoping for a quality X-files deal, and I'll take a campy paranoid fantasy in its stead, but I can't be bothered with some inconsistent series aiming for somewhere in the middle, especially when it's as dull as this one.

I think I'm just disappointed, really. Hopefully it will get better, but I'm worried that it feels like they ran out of ideas in the second episode. Sorry if I offended you David R.

for the record, other than the seatwarmer gag I'm really really failing to see the whedon in this.

Didn't seem any more graphic than any given House episode.

Still dig Blair Brown, Lance Reddick and John Noble, but the other actors still have a ways to go. The pilot already lowered my expectations about the monster-of-the-week plots, I agree with the mediocrity as Gukbe describes.

Definitely neither Chris Carter nor Joss Whedon. The former had really sharp character work every episode and the latter had a sense of humor. I think what really disappoints me the most is the female protagonist. I can't even remember her name she's so unmemorable. I don't know if she's just getting awful writing from the writers, or she's just a poor actress.

they really fucked themselves by starting this show off admitting there's a "pattern" to all of these things. oh, and the old guy just happened to work on anything involved in the pattern. magic computer can tell you EXACTLY where magic photo from dead girl's eye was taken. there weren't enough machinas in this episode for deuseses to be ex-ing from.

HOWEVER, i am still giving it a shot. but along with house tonight, this was kinda like fox's "ugh, come on, no way" tuesday.

I actually liked House tonight. But I don't think I've ever seen a House ep that I didn't enjoy.

The point is really that a writer (or writers) should do well enough for someone not to notice. The eye thing has been done many, many times before, and it is usually a pretty cheap trick when someone's written themselves into a hole/can't be bothered to come up with something better. And the Aliens gag was weak.

As you might've gathered, it didn't really chafe me quite as much, tho I can't recall the eye thing being done before, and you can't really do a pregnancy "gag" without inadvertently referencing "Aliens". But to each their own -- I've got plenty of reservations about this thing (including my fear that it's going to resort to having a WACKY SCIENCE GIMMICK for every episode) (oooh do cold fusion next!), but I'm not not enjoying it. One request, tho (since the show makers are of course reading this): more Kirk Acevedo.

BTW, Gubke, sorry for getting pissy w/ my earlier comment. (I blame the internet.)

They Macgyver defibrillator bit was just ridiculous.

the pregnant thing made me think of cronenberg's "shivers," but that's because "shivers" was on flix the day before yesterday.

more Kirk Acevedo

And maybe a Dean Winters cameo amirite?

This show would be better if it had Cate Blanchett in it instead of her doppleganger.

that's the name i was lookig for last night!

The only character in this show that is remotely endearing, entertaining or empathy inducing is Walter Bishop. This show sucks because all of the characters suck.

Yeah...I liked last night's episode way better than the pilot, but mainly just because they really didn't have enough story to fill out 90 minutes and it works much better as an hour. Walter Bishop is definitely the best part of the cast but he's treading a fine line of occasional, somewhat unexpected wackiness right now and that character could get tiresome or cheesy very quickly if they don't handle it right. Shows like this with a 'strong female lead' that don't bother casting a good actress or writing much of a personality for the character are so depressing.

So what is the playing god part, is the kid a clone of Walter or just otherwise genetically messed with?

The only character in this show that is remotely endearing, entertaining or empathy inducing is Walter Bishop

Statement fails to account for RIDDICK FACTOR

I'm annoyed by the LOST music being recycled.

Also, yes, Joshua Jackson is just a bizarre form of Pacey - does he have any way of delivering his lines beyond bored/upset/ironic?
"Yah dad, we sorta figured that out. OK? You can't retrieve images from eyeballs."

The show is pretty goofy - the previews made me yell "Don't steal from heroes!", and then my BF and I had a conversation about episodic series and, I dunno, chapter series..

I don;t know what the definitions are between the two. Episodic, to me, would imply episodes. But that's not the case?

Episodic means self-contained, largely, as opposed to serialized what's-its.

This show would be better if it had Cate Blanchett in it instead of her doppleganger.

I'd even take the original Poor Man's Cate Blanchett, Sarah Wynter, over whoever plays Olivia.

lol @ Walter having the Doctor's hand-in-a-jar.

Was X-Files episodic or serialized or both? This is a serious question.

Both

I'm not all that familiar with much of Joss Whedon's work... He's just my go-to whipping boy whenever plot devices, government conspiracies, and powerful underworlds are too flippant to take half seriously. That may be just as much an Abrams trademark, but I don't watch his shows either.

Joshua Jackson hasn't been half as interesting as the description of him in his "file" in the first episode.

^^ wow do you not get Joss Whedon.

This show sucks because all of the characters suck.

Abrams is more the plot device/conspiracy guy and Whedon is more the touchy-feely clever homey dialogue dude, I thought

Also: along with Aaron Sorkin, Whedon pretty much pioneered the serious treatment of season-as-arc in network drama.

Yeah, Kerm, I think you might be confusing Whedon with someone else.

I mean the guy with the show about the high school cheerleader that fights demons.

The West Wing?

I kind of enjoyed this ep - goofy is the right word for it. This show has way more of an Alias vibe than Buffy/X-Files/Lost, right down to the bad sci-fi - never mind eyeball-imaging/accelerated growth, but also the gimmicky, guess-what-awesome-gadget-we're-using-this-week. Said gadget will probably never be used again, even when they inevitably start recycling plotlines.

Olivia looks more like Poppy Montgomery (another generic-TV aussie blonde) from Without A Trace than Cate Blanchett. She's still pretty bland but i think she might grow on me (whereas Pacey/dad are more likely to get tiresome fast) - in the same way i thought Jennifer Garner on Alias was pretty boring before that show's wtf-ness completely sucked me in.

I would give this show kudos if I got any hint from the writing that it is intentionally goofy, and that the writers are aware; but I get none of that

still, it is utterly goofy and not unenjoyable; I wouldn't buy the DVDs or nuthin but I wouldn't step out if it were on

also: it is the x-files

I know ppl have said it above but it bears restating and restating: this show is the x-files

It is the x-files in content but not in form.

The X-Files was good.

good job outing the browncoats, Kerm

i saw the second episode of this. it's not the worst thing i've ever seen but i was happy to not get hooked on it at all (who has time to watch tv etc.).

The X-Files didn't assume that putting something in the script made it believable.

c'mon, dudes, first couple of x-files episodes aren't what the show is famous for...

these guys could pull it out! i mean, they blew everything in their pilot but maybe...

anyway we finished the series

Fringe aka Dads: A Love Story is a very good series & 100% holds up

the worst part of the whole series was Peter turning himself into an Observer but even that wasn’t terrible bc the rest of the story was good. oh and Joshua Jackson’s cry-acting is a bit too much, still bringing the old Dawson’s heat lol

Give John Noble all his flowers, what a blessing he is to the series. Denethor The GOAT.

https://media.tenor.com/UtjjTDOuP1YAAAAC/dawson%27s-creek-basketball.gif

ahaha stone cold classic
RIGHT IN THE FACE

The entire series is on sale in the Apple TV store for $30. Heck of a deal if you don't mind all-digital

Just started back in with this on Max, having stopped midway through season 2. The season 2 episode with Peter Weller as a time traveler, "White Tulip," is fucking incredible. Noble and Weller have a scene together that might be the best thing I've seen, TV or movie, all year.

i love that episode so much, still hits as beautifully as it did the first time

watched a couple of these on pluto and . . . could do with fewer close-ups of walter's face. intrigued enough that i might start from the beginning though. the torv is grebt

it's worth a watch-through imo

otm highly recommend!

IIRC some of the effects shots in the first season are properly disgusting - I remember being impressed with that even if the show doesn't quite know what it is yet. Second and third seasons are really, really good - I seem to remember it shoots itself in the foot a bit trying to work out a new status quo when Pacey disappears (did he have a movie to do?) and never really recovers, while never falling off to the extent that Battlestar Galactica did.

My family keeps pushing me to watch the newsreader show that Torv's in, anyone seen it?

Yes! I thought it was really good but i have only seen the first season

lol one of the first episodes i saw on pluto was when torv was . . . supposed to be possessed by leonard nimoy’s character? and played it like all vocal fry all the time? none of which i realized and thought was simply awful

The first episode I saw of this show was the second one in season four back when it just came out. I enjoyed it enough to go back and watch the whole thing. It made things slightly confusing until I caught up

ok i've watched the first maybe eight episodes

a) so much body horror! eyes bleeding, organs boiling, heads bursting, pregnancy explosions, crab-like heart parasite, etc. it's a lot

b) i don't require scientific verity in my sci-fi shows but this shit is ludicrous. already they have *twice* had our protagonists read the thoughts of comatose or literally dead subjects bc electricity (yet for some reason only the hot chick had to get naked and submerged in water to do it hmm)

c) also supposedly a dude subjected himself to the crab-like heart parasite and almost died JUST IN CASE our hero went to germany, sweet-talked a terrorist and relied on dead-brain reading to learn a two-word catchphrase

d) acting is v. good, although peter has had to sell some shitty dialogue. john noble is grebt, but a little walter weirdness goes a long way, and i don't really need so many closeups of his face

e) i'm okay with the endless closeups of everyone else's face (although i do wonder what peter's grooming regime is to keep that precise pseudo-beard going eternally)

f) idk anything about tv production, but this seems expensive? lotta external shots, people running through cars, swat teams attacking buildings based on any of our protagonists' random whims

g) love how, based on a literal psycho's demand, they'll send critically injured patients or corpses to walter's lab with no supervision

h) lance reddick had hella presence

i) tbh i probably wouldn't be continuing with it if olivia/anna torv weren't so riveting (yes she's lovely, but honestly mostly acting-wise)

I think the Anna Torv casting is actually really crucial because she just grounds the show so well, and provides a good balance with whatever wonderful eccentricity Walter’s doing, or whatever emo-yearning Peter’s doing. I love Joshua Jackson but it’s very “The WB channel” school of acting. Torv is the secret third thing. she can think in closeup and be believable, or bring needed silence. She’s a wonderful actor.

otm

her smiles can mean almost anything!

Fringe is also a show that gets better in Seasons 2 and 3, when they figure out what the show is about.